The Hendricken lacrosse team had an up-and-down 2012 season, finishing 5-5 before falling to Moses Brown in the Division I semifinals.

But it always seemed like there were more ups than downs with Alex Perreault on the field.

Perreault, a junior midfielder/attackman for the Hawks, made a huge difference when he could play. That, however, didn’t always happen, as he was limited at times because of a shoulder injury.

He missed three games during the middle of the season, then missed much of the second and third quarters in Hendricken’s semifinal loss to the Quakers.

In the second half of the season, though, when the Hawks really started to click, Perreault was playing regularly – and it showed.

“He added a whole different dimension when he played, and when he wasn’t in there you could tell when he wasn’t in there,” Hendricken head coach Kevin Murray said.

Perreault finished the season with 15 goals and 10 assists, but those numbers don’t accurately reflect the impact he had on the game.

When playing certain opponents, those teams would shadow him the entire game, making it nearly impossible for him to touch the ball.

That made it tough individually, but it also freed up space for his teammates to get the job done.

“It’s really difficult when you’re playing someone like La Salle,” Perreault said. “They have someone on me the whole time. I barely touch the ball. When I do touch it though, I can rely on my teammates. They help me out a lot.”

And Perreault, in turn, tried to stay on the field as much as possible. He played through some tough times, doing what he could to continue to play.

“He was a little banged up this year, but he played through some injuries,” Murray said. “He’s a good player, a lot of skill, played hard. It was very different for us when he was out there and when he wasn’t out there.”

Perreault should be good to go for next season, and then beyond. He verbally committed to play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University this past November.

“It was a fun season,” Perreault said. “The team was great. We all stepped up towards the end.”